Just when you thought it was safe to venture out of your homes, the Rambler returns!
Thanks to the generosity and confidence of the Belle Plaine Community Development Corp. (BPCDC) Board, I have been given new life on the local news front. We will soon be entering the second month of what I still call this “grand experiment” and I hope you enjoy what you are reading.
In the past several years, this country has been making a shift in its habit of receiving news from the words printed on a newspaper to the electronic media. Meanwhile, the costs of producing a newsprint product have continued to increase. Members of the BPCDC recognize that the next couple of years should be very exciting in Belle Plaine and this should be a time for increased emphasis on local news. They also realized that the cost of producing a new newsprint weekly newspaper would be beyond the reach of most. Hence, this all-electronic version was born.
First off, a note of clarification: This local news site is a publication of the Belle Plaine Community Development Corp., a non-profit corporation. It is not funded by nor directly affiliated with the City of Belle Plaine. We fully expect to cover the city council, as well as other important news events in the city, but city officials will have no say in what appears on this site.
As times goes by and I become more familiar with the complicated exercise of web page design and update, we will offer coverage of the above mentioned Belle Plaine City Council, board of education, other school activities, community development updates, social news, meeting notices and the dozens of other things that people care about in our community. We hope to offer more immediate daily coverage, not possible through any newsprint publication. We will soon also offer you a chance to support this effort through your classified or display advertising.
And yes, from time to time, the Rambler, who was silenced at the end of 2008, will emerge with comments on local and/or national issues. After my last day at my previous position and the start of this one, I had several months to think. I had opinions on several things I observed with no outlet to express them! My family and friends can only stand so much of my ranting!
Much of the information on the start of this publication so far has been through word of mouth. I share office space in what I fondly call “the fish bowl” with Jon Dayton at 826 12th Street and I see at least dozens, if not hundreds, of people walking by each day. Some of them stop in and we tell them why I’m here.
Today, a billboard went up with “BellePlaineNow.com” prominently displayed. It is located on Seventh Avenue near the railroad tracks where southbound travelers can see it. Check it out sometime.
So the first hurdle has been cleared. You found out web site. Now I am going to ask you for some help. If you like what you have read, please tell a friend…tell several friends. If you have some suggestions on how it can be improved, tell us. If you have a news tip, tell us. Our e-mail address is: belleplainenow@iowatelecom.net and the phone number is 444-2700.
Above all, please be patient. For nearly 35 years, I have generated and helped produce community news in one form and suddenly I have the opportunity to produce it in a new and exciting format. The next few months promise to be very exciting for this community and for your humble servant, the (formerly) ink-stained guy called “the Rambler.”